MONTEREY BAY NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY 
ADVISORY COUNCIL

Research Activity Panel

Meeting Minutes
Friday, August 18, 1995
1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Moss Landing Marine Lab, Shorelab Del Norte Facility 
Moss Landing, CA


The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council Research Activity Panel 
(RAP) met on Friday, August 18, 1995 at the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories Del 
Norte Shorelab Facilities in Moss Landing, CA.  Meeting arrangements were made by 
Aaron King, RAP Executive Coordinator.

Members in Attendance were:

Greg Cailliet, MLML
Brian Edwards, USGS (in attendance for Steve Eittreim)
Donald Potts, UCSC
Jim Rote, CSUMB
Mark Stephenson, CDFG
Deborah Johnston, CDFG
Andrew DeVogelaere, ESNERR/ESF
Judith Conner, MBARI (in attendance for Bruce Robison)
Laura Ehret, NPGS
Ken Parker, NOAA/OAB
Jim Harvey, MLML

Special Guests in attendance were:

Jack Sobel, Center for Marine Conservation (CMC)
Rachel Saunders, Center for Marine Conservation (CMC)
Khasrow Lashkari, MBARI
John Oliver, MLML

Research Activity Panel Members unable to attend were:

George Boehlert, NOAA/NMFS/PFEG
Dennis Powers, Hopkins Marine Station
Terry Jackson, MBNMS
Patricia Port, Department of the Interior
Karen Worcester, Morro Bay Foundation
Rick Starr, University of California, Sea Grant 
Gary Sharp, CIRIOS
Jan Roletto, GFNMS/CBNMS
Les Strnad, California Coastal Commission
Geof Wheat, NOAA/NURP
Chris Harrold, Monterey Bay Aquarium


I.	CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was called to order at 1:15 p.m..

II.	APPROVAL OF JULY MEETING MINUTES

The minutes from the July 21, 1995 meeting were approved as amended.

III.	QUICK INFORMATION DISCUSSION ITEMS

A.	Report on the July 28 Sanctuary Advisory Council meeting (Cailliet) --

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council met on Friday, July 28 
in the Hudson House at Pt. Lobos State Reserve from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.  
Highlights of the meeting included:

´	Lieutenant Commander Dean Lee, United States Coast Guard, was sworn in as the new 
Coast Guard representative to the Advisory Council;

´	Public Comments included:

	1) a resident diver expressed concern about the proposed San Carlos Beach Plan; 
	2) former NOAA employee, Bill Schramm, announced that he will be teaching a 
course at CSUMB and that he will be contacting members of the Advisory Council and 
working groups to place students as interns;
	3) Ellen Farout-Daniels, from Friends of the Sea Otter, reported that nothing 
definitive had yet been learned to explain the recent sea otter deaths; 

´	All Sanctuary Advisory Council members were challenged to purchase a license plate 
and to sell as many as possible.  RAP members are encouraged to do the same;

´	The Chairs of the RAP and Conservation Working Group (CWG) presented reports on 
their recent activities.  At the request of the Sanctuary Advisory Council Alternative 
Funding Task Force, the Chair of the Sanctuary Education Panel provided an hour-
long comprehensive report on the Sanctuary's education programs;

´	Following a status report on an exposed shoreline landfill in Sand City, the Advisory 
Council endorsed a letter supporting a 50-year plan to cover the existing land-fill;

´	A formal memorandum concerning noise in the Sanctuary, and endorsed by all three 
working groups, was presented.  Advisory Council members requested that the 
Sanctuary office produce an outline, by the end of the year, for how to incorporate 
the study of noise into the Sanctuary's realm of responsibility;

´	A Sanctuary non-profit foundation is expected to be in place as soon as Fall 1995;

´	An attorney representing the Hearst Corporation provided the corporation's 
perspectives and suggested alternatives to the proposed Piedras Blancas elephant seal 
viewing area


 
´	The CALTRANS management plan for the maintenance of the Big Sur Coastal Highway 
was presented for comments from the Council; 

´	The BAY NET program was introduced;

´	Advisory Council members approved a letter to Charles Wahle, Chief of the Technical 
Branch, Sanctuaries and Reserves Division, NOAA, asking him to consider the issue 
of Institutional Permits as a higher priority;

The next meeting of the Sanctuary Advisory Council is scheduled for 
Friday, August 25 at the Holiday Inn in Santa Cruz.  The September 
meeting of the Advisory Council will be on Friday, September 29 at the 
Moss Landing Chamber of Commerce Building.  All meetings are from 8:30 
a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and are open to the public.

Any questions about the Sanctuary Advisory Council meeting can be directed to Jane 
DeLay at (831) 647-4246 or to Greg Cailliet at (831) 755-8670.

B.	Cambria Desalination Plant (Rote) -- Jim Rote (CSUMB/NOAA), Terry Jackson 
(MBNMS), and Pat Cotter (MBNMS/USEPA), the RAP's subcommittee on this project, 
met with members of the Cambria team on August 10.  They were informed that there 
will be a final addendum to the project and concluded that until the addendum is released 
no further action will be taken.

A schematic illustrating the proposed desalination plant was provided to RAP members.   

C.	NURP Program Update and Equipment Pool (Cailliet) -- Due to scheduling 
conflicts, Geof Wheat was unable to provide a NURP update.  However, Greg reminded 
RAP members that the proposals for next year's NURP programs are due by September 
1, 1995.  

D.	Research Coordinator Status (King) -- The Research Activity Panel welcomed 
and congratulated Dr. Andrew DeVolgelaere as the new Research Coordinator for the 
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS).  He officially begins his 
responsibilities at the Sanctuary office on Monday, August 21.

Greg Cailliet and the rest of the RAP expressed their appreciation for Aaron's work as 
the RAP Executive Coordinator and Acting Research Coordinator.  

E.	MBNMS/GFNMS/CBNMS Marine Researchers Guide (King) -- Aaron is working 
to complete the project and to load it onto the web-site.  Please pass any additions, 
deletions and corrections to Aaron King at (831) 647-4257. 

F.	Permit Report (King) -- A table of contents for the August Permit Report was 
provided for RAP members to review.  Questions and comments about the report should 
be directed to Scott Kathey at (831) 647-4251 at the Sanctuary office.


G.	Electronic Communications Status (King) -- A list server program has been 
purchased by the Sanctuary to help create automatic e-mail systems and to allow topics 
on the internet to be elaborated on.  

H.	Institutional Permit Status (King) -- Dr. Charles Wahle, Chief, Technical 
Branch of the Sanctuaries and Reserves Division (SRD), has indicated his interest in 
scheduling a meeting with members of the RAP and select Advisory Council 
representatives when he visits Monterey.  Due to scheduling conflicts, Dr. Wahle's 
original plans to be in Monterey the week of August 28, have been postponed.  His office 
will notify the Sanctuary of the rescheduled trip to the west coast.

I.	Research Symposium (Cailliet) -- There will be a meeting on August 23 at 
AMBAG to discuss logistics and scheduling of the event.

J.	Vessel Traffic Safety Study (King) -- The report is still within the NOAA 
undergoing final edits.  Once the report is signed by the Head of NOAA, Dr. James Baker, 
it will be passed on to the Department of Commerce.

K.	RAP/MBNMS Review of Research Proposals (King) -- 

´	RAP members were provided with a copy of the letter to Jill McCarthy;

´	Dr. John Oliver, Adjunct Professor at Moss Landing Marine Labs, presented two 
proposals concerning: 1) a comprehensive watershed management and restoration 
plan for the lower Salinas River -- a project designed to remedy the substantial 
nonpoint source water pollution problems in the heavily polluted Salinas River 
watershed -- and, 2) a comprehensive watershed management solution to non-point 
source pollution in the Salinas Valley - Carr Lake -- a comprehensive plan to 
restore wet corridors into Water Management Areas (WMAs) for filtering nonpoint 
source pollution while retaining irrigation, groundwater recharge, flood control, and 
the protection and restoration of endangered ecosystems and species.  Dr. Oliver 
requested that the RAP write a letter of endorsement for each proposal.  

	The new Research Coordinator, Andrew DeVogelaere was asked to review the 
proposals for potential endorsement by the RAP.  Jim Rote requested that the RAP be 
provided with a list of other proposals competing for the 205(J) and 319 funds, 
however, the Chair stated that proposals are endorsed on an "as requested" basis.

L.	Marine Mammal Research Proposal RFP (King) -- RAP members were reminded 
that proposals are due August 28.  It was commented that there appears to be a more 
recent emphasis on sound and mammals, but it is not a requirement of the RFP.  The 
details are listed in the announcement and proposals must be relevant to the three 
northern California Marine Sanctuaries



M.	Fort Ord Update (The report was made by Brian Edwards for Steve Eittreim) -- 
Research in the former restricted area off of Fort Ord is continuing.  To date, there have 
been side-scan sonar studies and fish surveys.  More research cruises are planned for 
the near future. 

N.	CMC - Smithsonian Marine Biodiversity Workshop (Cailliet) -- The Center for 
Marine Conservation (CMC) and the Smithsonian Institution will be co-sponsoring a 
workshop on biodiversity in Washington, D.C. from October 25-28, 1995.  Conference 
participants will discuss All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) and will push to have a 
coral reef and cold temperature habitat identified and selected as a National study site for 
biodiversity.  The MBNMS is a strong contender.  The program would bring research and 
federal funding into the Sanctuary.  The main contact at CMC is Dr. Mike Smith at (202) 
429-5609 or Greg Cailliet at (831) 755-8670 for more information.  Greg Cailliet, 
Don Potts, Bruce Robison, and Jim Nybakken will attend the conference as 
representatives of the MBNMS research community.

O.	Letter from Gary Griggs on Marine Research Coordination (King) -- RAP 
members would like to invite Gary Griggs to a future RAP meeting to discuss ideas for 
coordinating different research interests in the area.  Don Potts will contact him on 
behalf of the RAP.

P.	SOS Presentation on MBNMS Research (Cailliet) -- Lorraine Riversong, Save 
Our Shores (SOS) Sanctuary Steward Program, has extended an invitation to RAP 
members to provide an overview of research in the Sanctuary to the Sanctuary Stewards 
as part of their enrichment program.  The group meets on the third Thursday of each 
month.  The RAP Chair appointed Andrew DeVogelaere to contact Lorraine on this matter.  
Jim Rote and Brian Edwards also expressed an interest in speaking to SOS.  If other RAP 
members would like to give a presentation, please contact Andrew at 647-4213.  


IV.	DISCUSSION ITEMS

A.	Acoustic Study in the MBNMS (Dr. Khosrow Lashkari, MBARI) -- Dr. Khasrow 
Lashkari, from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), presented his 
work on passive acoustic observation in the Sanctuary.  The study, Ocean Acoustic 
Observatory (OAO), is designed to provide a system for continuous real-time acoustic 
monitoring and observation of the ocean.  It can be used as an effective tool to study the 
effects of sound on some marine mammals.  

Dr. Lashkari explained that a long-term average for different types of ships can be 
computed and compared to the sounds made by submarines, smaller marine vessels, and 
marine mammals.

He continued to explain the use of hydrophone arrays, stationary or towed, and their 
value as a tool to study marine mammals. 

Other research using sound is occurring at the University of California, Santa Cruz 
(UCSC) where researchers are developing a data-logger to attach on a marine mammal 
in order to observe response to different sound stimuli.  One experiment described an 
animal's pattern of staying close to the ocean bottom and remaining quiet while a boat 
passed overhead.

Dr. Lashkari concluded by commenting that a picture of the underwater environment can 
be created through the use of acoustic observation.

B.	Committee/Chair on Sound in the Sanctuary Research (Cailliet/King) -- The 
RAP discussed the formation of a special subcommittee to begin the preliminary work of 
identifying the major questions and problems associated with sound and how the issue 
relates to the existing MBNMS research plan. 

Andrew commented that a succinct list of research priorities needs to be identified and 
that Sanctuary management would benefit from a specific research priority list for 
resource management.

RAP members suggested that this discussion should be included as an agenda topic for a 
future meeting.

C.	Mussel Watch Report (Stephenson/Committee) -- Mark Stephenson, CDFG, 
presented highlights of his report on the goals and objectives, accomplishments, and 
envisioned future of the Mussel Watch Program.  A motion was carried to endorse the 
Mussel Watch program for more funding.  Greg will present the RAP endorsement to the 
Advisory Council at its next meeting.

The RAP also discussed the appropriateness of including the Mussel Watch program with 
the regional water quality monitoring program.  It was suggested that Pat Cotter and 
Holly Price bring up the program at a workshop entitled "Regional Monitoring 
Strategies, and Development of an Environmental Quality Database" scheduled for 
September 7 at the MBNMS offices.

The panel also suggested that the WQPP incorporate the Mussel Watch data.

D.	AAAS Conference at San Jose State University (Rote) -- The RAP is continuing to 
work on involving the MBNMS research community in the American Association for the 
Advancement of Science (AAAS) conference at San Jose State University (SJSU) in June 
1996.  RAP members were reminded that the deadline for proposals is October 15, 
1995.  Gary Sharp and Andrew DeVogelaere are coordinating closely with the conference 
planners at SJSU to organize a one-day seminar in Monterey.  Conference participants 
would be bussed to the Peninsula to attend the session tentatively entitled, "Science in 
Support of Sanctuaries and Reserves."  

After discussion, RAP members requested that an outline of the seminar be distributed 
for comments prior to the next meeting and that the issue be placed on the September 
agenda



E.	CMC Fishery Reserve Symposium in the Caribbean (Sobel) -- Mr. Jack Sobel, 
from the Center for Marine Conservation's (CMC) Washington, D.C. office, announced a 
workshop, September 26-30, 1995, at the Lee Stocking Island Field Station in the 
Bahamas.  The event, co-sponsored by the CMC will address the benefits of marine 
reserves.  Experts from around the world are participating in the workshop.  

The purpose of the workshop is threefold: 1) to review the global experience involving 
marine reserves and "no take" zones; 2) to examine the benefits of the "no take" areas; 
and, 3) to develop recommendations for the types of research that need to be done to 
supplement the existing literature about marine reserves.  

Furthermore, the CMC has arranged for three of the conference participants to visit the 
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary on their way to the Bahamas.  There will be a 
special lecture on the evening of September 22 beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Auditorium 
of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  Featured guests will be: Dr. William J. Ballantine, 
Marine Biologist, Leigh Marine Laboratory at the University of Auckland, New Zealand; 
Dr. Dave Pollard, Principal Manager, Habitat Management Branch of New South Wales 
Fisheries in Sydney, Australia; and, Dr. Colin Buxton, Chairman, South African Linefish 
Research Group, and Associate Professor, Ichthyology and Fisheries Department at 
Rhodes University in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.  The event is free and open to the 
public.  (See attached flyer)

Mr. Sobel also encouraged the RAP to become more involved in the  establishment of the 
proposed Edward F. Ricketts Underwater Park.  According to Sobel, the protected area 
would be a valuable resource to the research community for a number of reasons and 
suggested that it would be helpful for the RAP to provide a research plan for the proposed 
area before the park is in place.

RAP members were reminded that the next hearing for the proposed underwater park is 
on September 21 at the Monterey City Council offices.  

The RAP concurred that there are interesting research opportunities associated with the 
proposed park, but that the group views its role specifically as scientific advisors on 
technical issues. 

F.	NOAA R/V McArthur Cruise Report (King); Future NOAA Ship Research Projects 
(Cailliet) -- The McArthur cruise report is still being prepared, along with efforts to 
secure and coordinate ship time next year.


V.	NEW BUSINESS

A.	California's Ocean Resources: An Agenda for the Future  -- There will be a public 
meeting on Thursday, August 24 at 7:00 p.m. at the Seaside City Hall Chambers, to 
discuss the California Resources Agency's plan to establish a comprehensive ecosystem 
management approach for the State.  All are encouraged to attend.  

B.	California Ocean Plan -- the State Water Board's ocean plan -- Comments are 
due by August 23.


C.	Sanctuary Education Panel (SEP) Retreat -- The SEP has scheduled an all-day 
strategic planning session on Wednesday, September 27 at the Elkhorn Slough Reserve.  
Members of the RAP are invited and encouraged to attend and to provide some research 
perspectives for education purposes.  Please let Dorris Welch know if you are interested 
in attending.  She can be reached at (831) 459-2358.

D.	Letter of Commendation for Aaron King -- The RAP unanimously decided to write 
a letter to Terry Jackson, Manager of the MBNMS, and directed the Chair to do so, 
commending Aaron for his outstanding work and indefatigable commitment to the 
research community.  


The next meeting of the Research Activity Panel is Friday, September 15 
from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at the MBARI conference room in Moss 
Landing.


The meeting adjourned at 5:20 p.m.


Respectfully Submitted,


Jane M. DeLay
Sanctuary Advisory Council Coordinator


RAP Meeting - August 18, 1995
FINAL Minutes
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